1960 United States presidential election in Mississippi

none June 2025 September 2023 No no Presidential 1960 United States presidential election in Mississippi Mississippi Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).svg November 8, 1960 1956 United States presidential election in Mississippi 1956 1964 United States presidential election in Mississippi 1964 x160px Harry F. Byrd (3x4 cropped).jpg Harry F. Byrd(by unpledged electors) Southern Democrat ffdc43 Virginia Strom Thurmond 8 116,248 38.99% Jfk2 (3x4).jpg John F. Kennedy Democratic Massachusetts Lyndon B. Johnson 0 108,362 36.34% Richard Nixon official portrait as Vice President (cropped).tiff Richard Nixon Republican California Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 0 73,561 24.67% 190px County results 190px Congressional district results Unpledged #ffeeaa 30–40% #ffe680 40–50% #ffdc43 50–60% #f4c200 60–70% #daae00 70–80% Kennedy #d3e7ff 30–40% #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% Nixon #ffccd0 30–40% #f2b3be 40–50% President Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican John F. Kennedy Democratic 1960 United States presidential election The 1960 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 8, 1960, as part of the 1960 United States presidential election. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. This was the last election in which Mississippi had eight electoral votes: the Great Migration of Black Americans caused the state to lose congressional districts for the third time in four censuses before the next election. The election saw the only case of a state being carried by a slate of unpledged electors. Mississippi voted narrowly for this slate, who voted unanimously for long-time Virginia Senator and political machine director Harry Flood Byrd, over the national Democratic nominee, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Republican nominee and outgoing Vice President Richard Nixon, from California, came in third, with his percentage of the vote practically unchanged from what outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower recorded in 1956. Governor Ross Barnett, a segregationist, was faced with a severe dilemma upon becoming governor at the beginning of the year owing to the rigid opposition of Mississippi's limited and almost exclusively White electorateSee Bullock Charles S. Gaddie Ronald Keith The Triumph of Voting Rights in the South 31–33 0806185309 to the active Civil Rights Movement. Pressured by the "Citizens' Council" who wished to unite the South behind a White-supremacist Democratic candidate,McMillen Neil R. The Citizens' Council: Organized Resistance to the Second Reconstruction, 1954-64 1994 0252064410 333 University of Illinois Press Governor Barnett repeated James P. Coleman’s strategy from 1956 and nominated two sets of Democratic Party electors for the presidential ballot.Crespino Joseph In Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution 0691122091 35–36 The first slate was pledged to Kennedy, while the other was not pledged to any candidate. The aim of placing unpledged electors on the ballot was to gain leverage from either major party in a close election, with the possibility of the House of Representatives electing a candidate more favourable to opponents of Brown v. Board of Education than either national major party nominee.Hills Charles M. October 11, 1960 Barnett's Colonels Hear Elector Plan 1, 6 Clarion-Ledger Jackson, Mississippi Because the civil rights movement’s supporters regarded Kennedy’s record as poor on this issue, Senators John C. Stennis and James Eastland supported his candidacy, although state-level politicians were not at all supportive.Bolton Charles C. William F. Winter and the New Mississippi: A Biography 1617037877 113 The state’s media saw a vigorous debate between the loyalist and unpledged Democrats in the week before the election.November 3, 1960 Loyalist, Unpledged Slug Away on Television 7 Enterprise-Journal McComb, Mississippi Outside heavily French-settled Hancock County, which has greater cultural ties with Louisiana than with most of the rest of Mississippi, Kennedy’s Catholic faith was also considered suspect.Menendez Albert J. The Religious Factor in the 1960 Presidential Election: An Analysis of the Kennedy Victory over Anti-Catholic Prejudice January 10, 2014 978-0786484935 132–133 McFarland Campaign Predictions This section cites multiple local and regional newspapers without providing verifiable sources. Some claims, such as the use of modern political terms like "Tilt" and "Lean", appear anachronistic. July 2025 SourceRankingAs ofThe Philadelphia InquirerHoffman Fred S. October 3, 1960 How Election Looks Today 1, 3 The Philadelphia Inquirer PhiladelphiaTilt I(Flip)October 3, 1960Knoxville News SentinelOctober 23, 1960 Populous States Are Key: Both Parties Claim Enough Votes To Win A-4 Knoxville News Sentinel Knoxville, TennesseeTossupOctober 23, 1960Daily NewsLewis Ted October 28, 1960 Campaign Circus 4C Daily News Jersey City, New JerseyLikely DOctober 28, 1960The Daily ItemNovember 4, 1960 Poll of Editors Predicts Victory for Nixon-Lodge: Republican Ticket Seen Winning in 28 States and Democrats in 19 3 The Daily ItemTilt DNovember 4, 1960The Clarion-LedgerHoffman Fred S. November 7, 1960 AP Poll Puts Jack Ahead in Electors 1–2 The Clarion-Ledger Jackson, MississippiTilt DNovember 7, 1960Hattiesburg AmericanGould Geoffrey November 7, 1960 Final Survey Shows Race a Tossup to the Finish 16 Hattiesburg American Hattiesburg, MississippiLean DNovember 7, 1960 Results Mississippi official and statistical register 1960-64 1965 Secretary of State of Mississippi Jackson, MS 393–395 1960 United States presidential election in MississippiDave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; 1960 Presidential General Election Results – MississippiPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Unpledged Electors — 116,248 38.99% 8 Democratic John F. Kennedy 108,362 36.34% 0 Republican Richard Nixon 73,561 24.67% 0 Totals 298,171 100.00% 8 Results by county CountyUnpledged ElectorsDemocraticJohn F. KennedyDemocraticRichard NixonRepublicanMarginTotal votes cast # % # % # % # %Adams2,52648.53%1,45227.90%1,22723.57%1,07420.63%5,205Alcorn60113.43%3,05468.25%82018.32%2,234"NixondUnpledged" In this county where the unpledged slate did finish third behind both Kennedy and Nixon, margin given is Kennedy vote minus Nixon vote and percentage margin Kennedy percentage minus Nixon percentage.49.93%4,475Amite1,65572.72%33814.85%28312.43%1,31757.87%2,276Attala1,28139.20%1,33740.91%65019.89%-56-1.71%3,268Benton34831.90%56852.06%17516.04%-220-20.16%1,091Bolivar1,63843.46%1,11929.69%1,01226.85%51913.77%3,769Calhoun1,29953.09%76531.26%38315.65%53421.83%2,447Carroll84057.07%42528.87%20714.06%41528.20%1,472Chickasaw1,36253.66%79131.17%38515.17%57122.49%2,538Choctaw58435.48%81749.64%24514.88%-233-14.16%1,646Claiborne65162.84%20519.79%18017.37%44643.05%1,036Clarke1,47844.68%1,24437.61%58617.71%2347.07%3,308Clay1,29554.60%62626.39%45119.01%66928.21%2,372Coahoma1,38535.82%1,38635.84%1,09628.34%-1-0.02%3,867Copiah1,95754.15%89624.79%76121.06%1,06129.36%3,614Covington98544.81%84238.31%37116.88%1436.50%2,198DeSoto73435.25%79538.18%55326.56%-61-2.93%2,082Forrest3,15236.52%2,06823.96%3,41239.53%260"NixondKennedy" In this county where Kennedy ran third behind both Nixon and the unpledged slate, margin given is Nixon vote minus unpledged vote and percentage margin Nixon percentage minus unpledged percentage.3.01%8,632Franklin1,11566.37%44126.25%1247.38%67440.12%1,680George91744.28%84440.75%31014.97%733.53%2,071Greene78149.49%55034.85%24715.65%23114.64%1,578Grenada1,13248.31%52922.58%68229.11%450"NixondKennedy"19.20%2,343Hancock50214.97%2,13263.58%71921.44%1,413"NixondUnpledged"42.14%3,353Harrison2,62115.64%8,96153.47%5,17730.89%3,784"NixondUnpledged"22.58%16,759Hinds12,09441.72%5,81120.05%11,08338.23%1,011"NixondKennedy"3.49%28,988Holmes1,48457.81%62824.46%45517.72%85633.35%2,567Humphreys73251.48%45932.28%23116.24%27319.20%1,422Issaquena18142.79%17842.08%6415.13%30.71%423Itawamba65323.57%1,75263.23%36613.21%-1,099-39.66%2,771Jackson1,90820.80%5,00054.50%2,26624.70%2,734"NixondUnpledged"29.80%9,174Jasper92638.03%1,14747.10%36214.87%-221-9.07%2,435Jefferson72866.54%22920.93%13712.52%49945.61%1,094Jefferson Davis98857.34%51029.60%22513.06%47827.74%1,723Jones2,92827.81%4,87146.27%2,72925.92%-1,943-18.46%10,528Kemper58734.31%93154.41%19311.28%-344-20.10%1,711Lafayette90931.11%1,30844.76%70524.13%-399-13.65%2,922Lamar1,04644.83%65127.90%63627.26%39516.93%2,333Lauderdale4,15438.66%3,75534.95%2,83626.39%3993.71%10,745Lawrence92355.91%46928.41%25915.69%45427.50%1,651Leake2,01161.88%95329.32%2868.80%1,05832.56%3,250Lee1,43821.65%3,65355.01%1,55023.34%2,103"NixondUnpledged"31.67%6,641Leflore2,11245.51%1,21226.12%1,31728.38%795"NixondKennedy"17.13%4,641Lincoln2,18544.73%1,44929.66%1,25125.61%73615.07%4,885Lowndes1,43030.56%1,24026.50%2,01042.95%580"NixondKennedy"12.39%4,680Madison1,58355.33%75326.32%52518.35%83029.01%2,861Marion1,26541.54%1,08235.53%69822.92%1836.01%3,045Marshall70039.22%68138.15%40422.63%191.07%1,785Monroe1,55932.08%1,90139.12%1,40028.81%-342-7.04%4,860Montgomery76138.65%62331.64%58529.71%1387.01%1,969Neshoba1,71641.49%1,84044.49%58014.02%-124-3.00%4,136Newton1,95657.94%91227.01%50815.05%1,04430.93%3,376Noxubee87058.43%27718.60%34222.97%528"NixondKennedy"35.46%1,489Oktibbeha1,67248.95%91526.79%82924.27%75722.16%3,416Panola1,40448.61%84129.12%64322.26%56319.49%2,888Pearl River1,55644.67%1,27636.64%65118.69%2808.03%3,483Perry55641.37%51438.24%27420.39%423.13%1,344Pike2,63249.13%1,25823.48%1,46727.38%1,165"NixondKennedy"21.75%5,357Pontotoc79229.29%1,58458.58%32812.13%-792-29.29%2,704Prentiss46815.68%1,77759.53%74024.79%1,037"NixondUnpledged"34.74%2,985Quitman67443.32%58337.47%29919.22%915.85%1,556Rankin3,11465.12%85017.77%81817.11%2,26447.35%4,782Scott1,84153.02%1,02429.49%60717.48%81723.53%3,472Sharkey43142.80%26326.12%31331.08%118"NixondKennedy"11.72%1,007Simpson1,56848.88%1,03432.23%60618.89%53416.65%3,208Smith1,02534.79%1,56853.22%35311.98%-543-18.43%2,946Stone81856.96%34323.89%27519.15%47533.07%1,436Sunflower1,24135.96%1,03329.93%1,17734.11%64"NixondKennedy"1.85%3,451Tallahatchie1,42154.72%83031.96%34613.32%59122.76%2,597Tate84547.69%68638.71%24113.60%1598.98%1,772Tippah46716.15%1,93967.05%48616.80%1,453"NixondUnpledged"50.25%2,892Tishomingo66927.56%1,22250.35%53622.08%-553-22.79%2,427Tunica24026.76%32336.01%33437.24%-11"NixondUnpledged"-1.23%897Union68920.91%2,00160.73%60518.36%-1,312-39.82%3,295Walthall1,08250.58%74734.92%31014.49%33515.66%2,139Warren2,02130.68%2,28934.75%2,27734.57%12"NixondUnpledged"0.18%6,587Washington1,25818.90%3,10546.66%2,29234.44%813"NixondUnpledged"12.22%6,655Wayne1,03646.39%70731.66%49021.94%32914.73%2,233Webster1,17457.95%55327.30%29914.76%62130.65%2,026Wilkinson83268.09%21617.68%17414.24%61650.41%1,222Winston1,50550.74%1,05635.60%40513.65%44915.14%2,966Yalobusha70436.99%65034.16%54928.85%542.83%1,903Yazoo1,84755.30%71521.41%77823.29%1,069"NixondKennedy"32.01%3,340Totals116,24838.99%108,36236.34%73,56124.67%7,8862.65%298,171 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Unpledged 18em Adams Amite Carroll Calhoun Chickasaw Clay Claiborne Covington Copiah Clarke Franklin Grenada George Greene Hinds Issaquena Jefferson Jefferson Davis Lauderdale Lamar Lawrence Leake LeFlore Lincoln Marion Marshall Montgomery Panola Noxubee Newton Oktibbeha Pearl River Perry Pike Quitman Rankin Scott Stone Simpson Sunflower Tallahatchie Tate Walthall Yalobusha Winston Wayne Webster Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Hancock Warren Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Lowndes Tunica Counties that flipped from Republican to Unpledged Madison Analysis In the coastal counties, Kennedy improved considerably upon what Adlai Stevenson II achieved in 1956, but except for those counties around the cities of Natchez and Vicksburg, Kennedy otherwise showed a major decline from the Democratic result in 1956. Kennedy held up best in the poor White upcountry counties that had historically been much more anti-Catholic than the Black Belt,Phillips Kevin P. The Emerging Republican Majority Arlington House 1969 0870000586 New Rochelle, New York 220, 234–237 suggesting that voters throughout the state had become more suspicious of the Democrats’ civil rights policies. Since the Republican percentage of the vote essentially failed to change – Nixon lost Hancock and Warren to Kennedy and Adams to the unpledged slate but picked up Tunica and Lowndes Counties – the unpledged slate took almost all of Kennedy's lost votes and thus shaded him for the state overall. Mississippi was one of six states that swung toward Republicans compared to 1956, alongside Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee.Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; 1960 Presidential General Election Data -- National Despite Kennedy's statewide defeat being only the second for a national Democrat in Mississippi since Reconstruction, this remains the last election when the coastal, French-influenced counties of Harrison and Jackson have voted for a Democratic presidential nominee.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 The following landlocked counties have also never voted Democratic since: Choctaw, Jones, and Smith. Warren County would not vote Democratic again until Barack Obama won it in 2012.The Political Graveyard http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MS/WR-votes.html Warren County, Mississippi Votes Electoral slates Unpledged electorsState Democratic Party John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. JohnsonNational Democratic Party Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.Republican PartyHenry HarrisGeorge Payne CossarCharles L. SullivanClay B. TuckerEarl Evans Jr.Bob BuntinD. M. NelsonLawrence Y. FooteFrank K. HughesDavid E. GuytonWill M. WhittingtonFrank E. Shanahan Jr.Martin V. B. MillerEdward H. StevensCurtis H. MullenLovie GoreJohn M. KayeRalph O. WhiteJ. H. SnyderJ. J. NewmanGeorge W. ShawC. E. TolarNoel Womack Jr.J. B. Snyder Notes References Mississippi 1960 Category:1960 Mississippi elections